 |
 |
Home Donate Archives About Us Contests Links
Resources Subscriptions News, Sports, Weather and Lotteries Webfeeds
|
 |
|
|
||||
|
Contests
We had nine lucky prize winners in our first-anniversary giveaway who won nine different prizes. Check out the contests page for all the juicy details on what you missed. Next issue
We're running a slightly different format these days. Rather than publish a longer newsletter on a set weekly schedule, we're sending shorter newsletters on an irregular basis these days. Hope you enjoy! Subscriptions
You too can receive these newsletters in your e-mail. All you need to do is enter your e-mail address in the form in the top, right-hand corner of any page on the site and click the "GO!" button. So sign up now, eh! Suggestions
If you have a suggestion for an article, factoid, joke, statistic or anything else for the newsletter, please send it to our researcher. Any comments about this Web site can be directed to the webmaster. |
Sunday Newsletter 2001-09Su. March 4, 2001. The last time I debated with myself over my choice of who to feature in the weekly biography spot, I chose historical significance over current celebrity status. That made my decision easier to make this time as I pondered if I should select from the political arena, or chose a film star. This time I chose the latter. Most of you have probably noticed that each Sunday I select a Canadian whose birth date falls close to the date of the current newsletter. Sometimes the choices are difficult, but there is always next year. We hope to have an archived list of birthdays on the Web site at some point in time, with links to biographies we have written. The politician (or ex-politician) in this case who celebrates a birthday this week was our nation's first female prime minister: Kim Campbell, who was born Avril Phaedra Douglas Campbell in Port Alberni, British Columbia, on March 10, 1947. Happy birthday Kim, and happy birthday to Debbie Brill as well who was born March 10, 1953, in Mission, British Columbia. Debbie was a track and field star in the late 1960s and 1970s. I won't always list alternative birthdays, mostly because there are too many and I will almost assuredly miss someone, but while I was on the subject I wanted you all to know that I am on top of things. ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø == TABLE OF CONTENTS == = Question of the week = Biography -- Catherine O'Hara = Events and happenings = Place names -- Gambler, Manitoba = Joke of the week = Quote of the week = Classical music = Geography and our land = Canadian sayings = Recipe for warmth = Monetarily speaking = Idiom of the week = Words of the week = Answer to this week's question = Preview = Links and resources = Legal and subscription information ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø == QUESTION OF THE WEEK == These four Richardsons, Arnold, Ernie, Garnet, and Wes, were inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. What sport did they play? ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø == BIOGRAPHY == Catherine O'Hara. This versatile actress and comedienne was born in Toronto, Ontario, on March 4, 1954. In her early to late teens she appeared in numerous Canadian commercials, but her first real exposure to comedy did not come until 1973 when she began waiting tables at the famous Second City Comedy Bar in Toronto to supplement her acting income. She was quickly discovered by the Second City management and started performing. By 1976 she became one of the founding members on SCTV (Second City Television), along with the late John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Harold Ramis and Dave Thomas. During her stay between 1976 and 1983 the production was backed by various companies including the CBC, Global Television, NBC and Cinemax. The show also garnered many nominations and awards, with its pinnacle of achievement being the two Emmy Awards culled from an incredible total of thirteen nominations. Some of her fondest remembered roles include the impersonations of Katherine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Brooke Shields, Morgan Fairchild and Rona Barrett, along with the self-created personas of Lola Heatherton, Dusty Towne, Lorna Minelli, and Sister Mary Innocent, to name but a few. When we think of rubber-faced comics who seem able take on any role, people like Jim Carrey usually come to mind. However, Catherine is usually thought of in Hollywood circles as the comparable woman to take on these diverse roles. Almost 20 years have elapsed since she last appeared on SCTV and, although Catherine will probably never command the salary of Jim Carrey or Demi Moore, she is among the "heavyweights" when it comes to females in comedy roles. Catherine has appeared in almost 30 films since leaving SCTV including "Home Alone", "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York", "Beetlejuice", and "Wyatt Earp" (the last in an excellent non-comedic role). She has also done many voice-only roles, including that of Collette the waitress in the "Flaming Moe's" episode of "The Simpsons", and Sally Shock from Tim Burton's "Nightmare Before Christmas". Her marriage in 1992 to Bo Welch (Robert W. Welch III), an industry art director and production designer who has worked on such movies as "Men in Black" and "Batman II", has not even dented Catherine's celluloid output. If anything she continues to increase her work load as the years go by. Up next for Catherine is the comedy "Speaking of Sex", which is currently in post-production and the film "Orange County" which is to be released late this year. ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø == EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS == The Juno Awards take place today (Sunday, March 4) in Hamilton, Ontario. Tune in live to the CBC for the 30th anniversary of this event at 8:00 pm ET. Don't miss the great opening number by Juno nominees, "The Moffatts". ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø == PLACE NAMES == Gambler, Manitoba. Gambler Indian Reserve (IR63) is situated 105 kilometres northwest of Virden, Manitoba, 174 kilometres southwest of Dauphin, Manitoba, and 387 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, near the Saskatchewan border. The reserve holdings of Gambler Indian Band number 294 consist of five land parcels located in close proximity. Prior to 1881, the Gambler members were part of the Waywayseecappo Band living at the Birdtail Creek reserve. In April 1881, Chief Waywayseecappo surrendered land east of the Assiniboine River at Silver Creek in favour of establishing a new settlement. An Order in Council was granted May 1889, and Gambler was established as a reserve. The band's native language is Cree and the reserve population is around 40. There is an off-reserve population nearing 100, making the total population for the Gambler Band 140. ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø == JOKE OF THE WEEK == You really have to have a knowledge of Canada to get this one. Q. What is James Bond's secret identity number in Newfoundland? A. 007:30 ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø == QUOTE OF THE WEEK == "I'm fortunate and unfortunate every year to get offered a sitcom or two, and I keep thinking, 'No, when I get older I want to do something like the "Golden Girls" because it's like the best regular job you could get in your life.' It's unbelievable money and you go in for a few hours every week. But while I'm still young I like the short, intense work of the movies. Or the one-shot TV job, and then wondering what I'll do next. My husband would rather I do a sitcom, but he's doing movies, so why shouldn't I? Once in a while you read a really good script, and you think, 'Nah, this'll never make it, it's too funny' (laughing). But yeah, stuff I didn't get, it's a good thing I didn't get. And for the most part, maybe I'm just so pig-headed, but I don't think I've regretted the stuff I haven't done. But maybe it could be that I refuse to be wrong!" --Catherine O'Hara. ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø == CLASSICAL MUSIC == Although I own almost 200 works of classical recordings on compact disc, there is no possible way that I could do justice to an article on this genre of music. I simply like what I like. That said, here is a little statistical tidbit for you to gnaw on. By the end of the 20th century, seven of the top-ten selling classical albums in Canada all featured Luciano Pavarotti. The number one selling classical album of all time is "The Three Tenors", released in 1994 and featuring Pavarotti along with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras. See the links in today's resources (at the bottom of the page) for a feed of some of this music. I traditionally prefer instrumental or orchestral classical music than that of vocal or opera, but even I own three Pavarotti discs. ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø == GEOGRAPHY AND OUR LAND == "We are rich! There's gold in them thar hills!" According to a report released by Gold Field Mineral Services Ltd., Canada is the world's fourth largest producer of gold. How do the top ten nations stack up? Glad you asked.
# Country Production
(tonnes)
1. South Africa 473.8
2. United States 364.4
3. Australia 313.0
4. Canada 164.0
5. China 161.0
6. Indonesia 139.3
7. Russia 127.3
8. Peru 89.2
9. Uzbekistan 80.6
10. Ghana 73.3
A "tonne" is a metric tonne, a mass of 1000 kilograms. There are approximately 2.2 pounds in a kilogram, therefore a tonne is about 2200 pounds, or 10 percent larger than an imperial ton which is 2000 pounds.¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø == CANADIAN SAYINGS == What do you suppose Prince Edward Islanders mean by, "You'll soon see the rabbit," when referring to hard work? As legend goes on the island, it means that one's hard work is almost complete when someone tells you this. It refers to the folk tale that when farmers where cutting hay, they started on the perimeter and worked their way towards the centre. A rabbit hiding in the field would slowly run out of cover. When it flees, one could assume the task was almost complete. ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø == RECIPE FOR WARMTH == Those warm days of spring are almost upon us. If you are looking for a good and simple recipe for alcoholic libation to tide you over to those "dog days of summer", you may want to consider the following. Hot Whiskey Toddy (also known as a Hot Brandy Toddy or a Hot Rum Toddy). Ingredients: 1 cube sugar 2 ounces Canadian whiskey (or bourbon, rye, or Scotch) Slice lemon Nutmeg Put sugar in a mug or small tumbler and add enough water to dissolve. Add the whiskey, fill with boiling water and stir. Garnish with slice of lemon and grate a little nutmeg on top. Serves one tired worker. ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø == MONETARILY SPEAKING == How time flies. It was 1987 (yes, 14 years ago!) that the "loonie" was introduced, replacing our-dollar bill. It has also been five years (1996) since the introduction of the "toonie", ridding us of our two-dollar bill. By the way "loonie" and "toonie" are both unofficial references to these coins (as are "loon", "polar bear" and "moonie"), although (believe it or not) they are defined in the dictionary (see Craig's "Words of the Week" below). Officially they are know simply as the one- and two-dollar coins. ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø == IDIOM OF THE WEEK == A few weeks ago, Craig started his own weekly article in this newsletter entitled "Words of the Week". Well, I'm the jealous type so I am starting my own article entitled "Idiom of the Week". Whereas Craig defines words from the newsletter and reader suggestions, I will give you an idiom and then use it in a sentence. First up is "Leave no stone unturned." This means "to try in every way; miss no chance; do everything possible. Often used in a negative connotation." Example: "I will leave no stone unturned in my pursuit of the vandals who broke into my vehicle." ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø == WORDS OF THE WEEK == By Craig. The earthquake that we on the west coast experienced this Wednesday provides the source for one of this week's definitions. I hope you enjoy them more than I enjoyed the house shaking! Idiom -- (noun) 1. an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements. Example: "chew the fat" means "talk casually" or "chat". 2. dialect. 3. a people's way of expressing themselves. 4. (Music, arts, etc.) an individual manner of expression. Richter scale -- a scale, ranging from 1 to 10, for measuring the intensity of an earthquake in terms of the vibrations produced at its centre. Each whole number on the scale, beginning with 1, represents a magnitude 10 times greater than the preceding one. An earthquake of magnitude 1 can be detected only by instruments; a magnitude of 7 indicates a major earthquake. (after Charles F. Richter, American seismologist, [1900-1985]) Toonie or toony -- (noun, Canadian) the Canadian two-dollar coin. Also, twonie, twoonie. ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø == ANSWER TO THIS WEEK'S QUESTION == These four Richardsons, Arnold, Ernie, Garnet, and Wes, were inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. What sport did they play? The answer is "Curling". ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø == PREVIEW == After the departure of Mike for health reasons from our "band of three", we have still not made a final decision on the fate of the Friday Feature. We will announce our intentions this Friday and, if we have something prepared by then, we will include it as well. ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø I am going to use my sign-off to bring something to your attention. Back on Saturday, February 10, 2001, a full-page advertisement was taken out in the "National Post" newspaper. The title of this "ad" was "The Fabric of a Nation" and was placed by the Fur Council of Canada. As directed by our own mission statement, I will not editorialize on this subject in the Sunday Newsletter. However, if you are interested in some propaganda, visit the Fur Council's Web site, a link to which is provided in today's resources below, and see what these folks are trying to tell us. Remember to read between the lines! ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø == LINKS AND RESOURCES == FactsCanada.ca -- http://www.factscanada.ca Today's resources NinerNet Communications |
Your Account
Free Email
Free email is no longer available. Search
Search currently unavailable. Sorry. Credits
Writer and Researcher: John MacDonald. Technical and Editor: Craig Hartnett. Web Site Hosting and Design: NinerNet Communications. 
|
||||
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
||||
| Home |
|
Top | ||||
|
Home Donate Archives About Us Contests Links
Resources Subscriptions News, Sports, Weather and Lotteries Webfeeds
|
||||||
|
This page (/sunday/sunday-2001-09-03-04.shtml) last updated 2005-02-21 01:12:21 UTC. Copyright © 2000-2017 FactsCanada.ca. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy Web site hosting and design by NinerNet Communications. | ||||||
